Sitting here at my computer at home a full week after our trip, I can now look back at some of the things we learned and how we might do things differently next time, plus some tips for future visitors.
1) Next time we will stay on-site, at least for part of our vacation. For this trip we decided to save money on lodging and splurge on food instead. Next time we would like to take advantage of things like EE and the Disney Transportation system. Driving around WDW can be a harrowing experience because NOBODY knows where they are going and most of them are driving vehicles they are not used to handling.
2) Next time we will stay longer and spread things out more. We packed five theme parks, a water park, Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk, Kennedy Space Center and an afternoon of shopping into seven days. We arrived at parks before they opened and did not leave until close. We would like to spread a couple of the parks out over two days and spend more time actually relaxing. To be fair, we knew full well that our plans for this trip were very ambitious, but we still needed a vacation to recover from our vacation!
3) Going during the off-season was definitely the way to go. Crowds were low and very tolerable, and the weather was excellent. After a chilly and rainy start we had four straight days of bright sunshine and temps in the low 80s. My previous trips had all been in August. I cannot imagine going during the summer ever again as long as I live. The only drawback of off-season touring was the fact that the parks closed early.
4) The Buena Vista Suites is an OK hotel if you need a very large space at reasonable prices and free breakfast buffet just 2 miles from Disney, but there were too many nagging maintenace issues to deal with when we got home each night.
5) Don't bother taking any photographs at night unless you have 800 speed film. My Illuminations and Fantasmic pictures look like I had left the camera in the bag the whole time.
6) Disney's scariest thrill rides are tame in comparison to the mega-coasters found in other parks. There's no need to fear RNR or TOT unless you have actual health concerns.
7) The Fantasmic Dinner Package is a great time-saver, even in the off-season.
8) Watching the stage shows really slowed down our touring, so next time we will be much more selective about which ones to see.
9) If going to both USF and MGM, go to Universal first. Universal Studios was a lot of fun, but Disney still blows it away.
10) You are never too old to get excitied about meeting Mickey Mouse. Disney is a great vacation for two adults to share without children. I was there a few times as a child and can honestly say that this trip was much more fun than all the others. There are so many things at WDW that children cannot fully appreciate. A few of our friends thought we were being silly going to Disney World before having children, but we are glad we did.
1) Next time we will stay on-site, at least for part of our vacation. For this trip we decided to save money on lodging and splurge on food instead. Next time we would like to take advantage of things like EE and the Disney Transportation system. Driving around WDW can be a harrowing experience because NOBODY knows where they are going and most of them are driving vehicles they are not used to handling.
2) Next time we will stay longer and spread things out more. We packed five theme parks, a water park, Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk, Kennedy Space Center and an afternoon of shopping into seven days. We arrived at parks before they opened and did not leave until close. We would like to spread a couple of the parks out over two days and spend more time actually relaxing. To be fair, we knew full well that our plans for this trip were very ambitious, but we still needed a vacation to recover from our vacation!
3) Going during the off-season was definitely the way to go. Crowds were low and very tolerable, and the weather was excellent. After a chilly and rainy start we had four straight days of bright sunshine and temps in the low 80s. My previous trips had all been in August. I cannot imagine going during the summer ever again as long as I live. The only drawback of off-season touring was the fact that the parks closed early.
4) The Buena Vista Suites is an OK hotel if you need a very large space at reasonable prices and free breakfast buffet just 2 miles from Disney, but there were too many nagging maintenace issues to deal with when we got home each night.
5) Don't bother taking any photographs at night unless you have 800 speed film. My Illuminations and Fantasmic pictures look like I had left the camera in the bag the whole time.
6) Disney's scariest thrill rides are tame in comparison to the mega-coasters found in other parks. There's no need to fear RNR or TOT unless you have actual health concerns.
7) The Fantasmic Dinner Package is a great time-saver, even in the off-season.
8) Watching the stage shows really slowed down our touring, so next time we will be much more selective about which ones to see.
9) If going to both USF and MGM, go to Universal first. Universal Studios was a lot of fun, but Disney still blows it away.
10) You are never too old to get excitied about meeting Mickey Mouse. Disney is a great vacation for two adults to share without children. I was there a few times as a child and can honestly say that this trip was much more fun than all the others. There are so many things at WDW that children cannot fully appreciate. A few of our friends thought we were being silly going to Disney World before having children, but we are glad we did.
